Girl recovering, family traumatized by Best Buy attack

Police: Suspect has mental, emotional, psychological illnesses

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 9-year-old girl attacked in a Best Buy restroom Friday is recovering, but her family is still traumatized by what happened, said Ann Dugger of the Justice Coalition.

Dugger spent Monday with the family.

"They are completely devastated," she said. "In a place they thought was safe, you're thinking a 9-year-old girl in the bathroom and everything is OK. And you think they are safe in a place of business. And a child is not safe in the place of a business anymore. They feel violated. They feel devastated, and they are horrified at how close to death the child came."

Police said Monday the girl was lured into the restroom by James Tadros.

What the police report does say is a witness was standing outside the bathroom and heard someone screaming from inside the women's restroom, asked if they needed help and heard mumbling.

The witnesses called for a Best Buy employee, who, according to a police report, saw Tadros holding the victim by her torso with her head inside the toilet. Police said Tadros dropped the victim and she crawled to another stall and was helped by an employee.

Tadros was held by another employee until police came, investigators said.

The report says the victim does not know Tadros. She told police Tadros kicked and punched her and put a plastic bag over her head and stuck her head inside a toilet.

During the integration, Tadros became violent and the vandalized the interview room, according to a police report.

Tadros suffers from mental, emotional and psychological illness, according to the report.

"Police have to conduct the investigation the same way if this were not an issue," Channel 4 crime analyst Ken Jefferson said. "They have to charge the same way. They cannot hold back charging an individual. It's going to be left up to the prosecutor, the state attorney's office whether they want to change the charge, increase or decrease."

No one was at Tadros' St. Johns County home Monday.

Tadros is listed by the court as developmentally disabled and was under the care of his mother. At age 18, the state no longer required court ordered guardianship.